The ultimate objective of this study is to explore whether and how American learners are disposed toward the study of a so-called ‘strategic’ language, specifically (a) whether commonly promoted reasons for language study, such as the ‘broadening of the American mind’ (such as laid out in the MLA report of 2007) pertain; (b) whether prevalent theorizations of motivation (such as Dörnyei’s Motivational Selves System) can be used to frame these learners’ motivations; and (c) how learners navigate among potentially conflicting incentives (humanistic; utilitarian/strategic; Lantolf & Sunderman, 2001) toward the study of a strategic language. Specifically, this study investigates the attitudes of American university learners of a so-called ‘strategic’ less-commonly-taught language (LCTL), specifically Persian/Farsi, toward the language, its speakers, its affiliated countries and cultures, and its teachers and students. As is evident in the websites of various programs, students are encouraged toward the study of Persian/Farsi with very different and conflicting rationales. One argument goes that Persian/Farsi is spoken in a country with which the U.S. has had problematic relations for several decades and knowing it is a matter of national security. Another is that Persia represents one of the world’s oldest civilizations so that knowing its language grants access to the foundations of human civilizations. The study then compares the attitudes of Persian/Farsi students against those of learners of another strategic language that is more widely studied (Arabic) and that is spoken in countries with less distinctly negative relations with the U.S. All participants completed a three-part written questionnaire (128 closed/quantitative, 21 open-ended/qualitative items, and 10 learner background questions) about Persian/Farsi and Arabic. Further, a stand-in, who was not associated with any of the languages under investigation, conducted face-to-face individual and group interviews. The presentation will focus on results that show learners of Persian/Farsi hold a positive attitude toward the Persian/Farsi language, people and their affiliated culture and are more oriented to humanistic reasons, i.e., personal interest, enjoyment and curiosity.